Prompted by the tense relations between Tehran and The Hague following the execution of Dutch-Iranian Zahra Bahrami, RNW is launching a new website aimed at Iran. The new site www.rnw.nl/farsi, – as the name suggests – be produced in Farsi, the language spoken in Iran and by the many Iranians who live outside the country.
The decision to start this new internet service has also been prompted by the continuing crises in Egypt and Tunisia, both of which are of great significance for many other countries in the region, including Iran. The current Islamic Republic there is itself the result of a popular uprising which took place in Iran in 1979. This new RNW website is also Radio Netherlands Worldwides first service in Farsi, the stations 11th broadcasting and website language.
RNW Editor-in-Chief Rik Rensen believes that there is a large market within Iran which would welcome an independent and balanced service from the Netherlands: The websites initial launch is for a period of one month, at the end of which well decide whether it should be continued.
With social media providing popular information-sharing platforms for many Iranians, too, much of the output of rnw.nl/farsi will also be re-published via these channels.